Zongo youth engage Minister on Tramadol abuse

The Zongo Hausa Youth Association of Ghana has initiated a series of engagements with the ministry of Inner–City and Zongo Development in a bid to curb the rampant abuse of Tramadol drugs.

The association has suggested to the ministry that the permanent solution to the menace was to engage the youth in productive ventures as well as assist them to set-up businesses.

The General Secretary of the association, Mohammed Habib, told the Graphic Online after a closed-door meeting with the minister of Inner-City and Zongo Development, Aljahi Boniface Abubakar Saddique that the minister would have to look beyond identifying football talents to provide sustainable jobs especially in artisanship for the youth.

He said the meeting which also had the Niger Ambassador to Ghana, Dr Alhoussein Ousmane in attendance agreed that the best way to go was to engage the Zongo youth in technical education and training in artisanship while those who needed capital to do business were supported.

The Chairman of the association, Mohammed Awal Alhassan Mailafia, said the problems within the Zongo were not insurmountable and with good plans, such communities could be turned into first class residential areas.

He called for a change in the orientation of the Zongo youth which would inject into them a ‘can do spirit’.

The Minister, Alhaji Saddique said there was a holistic plan to transform the Zongos across the nation.

According to him, funding was being sourced and procurement procedures were being followed for the planned transformational projects including drains in flood-prone areas to be undertaken.